Commissioner Goodell: “We can teach kids the importance of healthy lifestyles”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell today helped build a playground at Lincoln Elementary School in Green Bay with former players Larry Brown, John Randle, Andre Reed and Aeneas Williams as part of the community events leading up to tonight’s Kickoff game.

“It is a great opportunity to give back to the communities that make the NFL special,” Commissioner Goodell said later in a media briefing. “I know I grew up on a playground and how important it was to me.  To give these kids that same opportunity is a good thing.

“Physical fitness means so much to all of us in the NFL,” the Commissioner continued. “Our great players, they all grew up on playgrounds.  I grew up on a playground.  We all had some great experiences as kids.  It is part of a healthy lifestyle.  We can give back in that way.  We can teach kids the importance of healthy lifestyles and proper nutrition.  While you may not get to the NFL, it is the way to live a healthy lifestyle.”

Following is a transcript of the Commissioner’s media briefing in Green Bay:

NFL COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL

KICKOFF WEEKEND COMMUNITY BUILD MEDIA BRIEFING

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN

 September 8, 2011

On building the playground in Green Bay:

It is great to be here.  We do this as part of our Kickoff event but also other events including Super Bowl.   It is a great opportunity to give back to the communities that make the NFL special.  I know I grew up on a playground and how important it was to me.  To give these kids that same opportunity is a good thing.

On opening the 2011 season after an eventful offseason:

That’s in the past.  Now, I am looking forward to tonight.  We are here.  Obviously, being in Green Bay has made it all the more special.  The great history and tradition of this town and what that has meant to the NFL, it is a special thing to be here to celebrate the Packers’ championship and the start of a new season.

On the importance of building playgrounds and community involvement:

Physical fitness means so much to all of us in the NFL.  Our great players, they all grew up on playgrounds.  I grew up on a playground.  We all had some great experiences as kids.  It is part of a healthy lifestyle.  We can give back in that way.  We can teach kids the importance of healthy lifestyles and proper nutrition.  While you may not get to the NFL, it is the way to live a healthy lifestyle.

On expansion to Lambeau Field:

I had the opportunity to see the expansion of the stadium, which I thought was terrific.  (Packers president and CEO) Mark Murphy came back last week and gave us insight on it. It is responsive to what the fans want, which is more general admission seats.  The seating is going to be unique and very popular.  The way the Packers continue to invest in not only the stadium but the community and the development that will come out of this is a great opportunity for the league and the Packers.

On supporting a Packers stock sale:

We know the issues.  We will be going to our committees [to discuss] over the next couple weeks.

On Colts QB Peyton Manning’s consecutive starts streak ending and what he means to the NFL and the Colts:

Peyton is not just a great football player; he is a great man.  He has done all of the right things both on and off the field.  I am a great admirer of Peyton.  I respect him.  We look forward to having him back.  The good news is they can look forward to seeing him back.  The sooner he gets back the better for everybody, particularly Colts fans. 

On monitoring Manning’s status:

I have been in touch.  It is something that I can’t do anything but hope that he gets better quickly and gets to a full recovery.

On the Green Bay community build in comparison to past events:

Being outside and having the opportunity to create a playground with the kids, it is a great opportunity.  They are all unique in their own way, but when you see these young elementary kids who are going to have the opportunity to come out here and play when they didn’t have it before, it is a great thing. 

On Packers fans’ celebration being affected by the work stoppage:

Packer fans are going to have to make that assessment, not me.  We know that it was a difficult offseason for our fans.  We are sorry about that, but we have 10-year agreement that is going to provide stability to be able to invest in stadiums and expand our presence in communities.  It is going to be good for the Packer fans in this community over the long term. 

On relationships with business and TV partners, specifically the recent PepsiCo and ESPN agreements, following the work stoppage:

The good news is that we were able to get a fair agreement.  Our business has returned very strong.  We are seeing agreements that are long term.  That is because of the new labor agreement.  It is the foundation.  Corporations and partners are confident in the ability to be successful, to be stable and to deliver great value for them.  By seeing the ESPN announcement and PepsiCo earlier this week and other sponsors over the past couple weeks, you are seeing the fruits of that kind of an agreement.

On the Packers potentially being the first team to seek money from the stadium fund:

I know a number of teams are pursuing not only stadium improvements but also new stadiums.  Again, it is part of our labor agreement.  It encourages those investments.  The players are supporting that.  It is going to create opportunities for not only the players, the communities and the teams but [also] continue to keep the NFL strong.

On the number of blackouts increasing in 2011:

Our projections don’t show that.  We are aware of what is going on in the economy.  It is difficult economy.  It is impacting our fans; it is impacting our partners.  We are aware of that.  We are working harder to sell tickets and to be more creative with our policies to encourage the types of activities and get people into our stadiums and full, which is great for our television partners, also.  It is great to watch those games when you have a full stadium.  The enthusiasm comes through the television screen.  We have been very successful with that. 

On concerns competition may be affected by the work stoppage:

I am always focused on the quality of our game.  It is one of my No. 1 priorities to make sure we are doing everything we can to have a quality game.  I don’t see any signs of [a decrease in quality of play].  I talked to our coaches, general managers and players, and they are not indicating it, either.  We obviously will watch that closely as we do every year. 

On who will win tonight’s Saints-Packers Kickoff game:

I always root for whoever is losing (laughter).

On further emphasizing on player safety:

I don’t think we will be any more vigilant than we have been in the past.  It is an important issue for us.  We have made the game safer, which is good for the players, good for the game and is good for the fans who want to see the players play.  We are not going to relent at all on the safety issues.  We have identified certain techniques that we want to take out of the game, which is true over the history of the NFL.  We have continued to see the game get stronger.  As we mentioned before, all of our metrics continue to get stronger.  The game continues to get more popular and safer.  That is a great thing for our fans.

On player comments regarding on-field fines:

No one likes to get fined.  I understand that.  In the long run, all of this is good for the game and good for the players.

On the environmental bill before Sacramento’s legislature affecting AEG’s proposed downtown LA stadium:

It is a positive development because it will affect not only this project but other projects in the state.  It is a positive in getting more investment in the community.  As it relates specifically to us, it is a step in getting at least the downtown stadium alternative closer to a reality.  We have two alternatives there in the Los Angeles market.  We are going to continue to work with both parties.

On Los Angeles working to compromise with the NFL:

I have always said that these are public-private partnerships.  You have to work together.  They are complicated projects.  You can’t address just the community issues or the team issues.  The people in Los Angeles recognize that the city of Los Angeles is going to continue to be great without the NFL; and the NFL is going to continue to do well without Los Angeles; but we can be better together.  That is what we are looking for, a solution that we both can benefit from.

On HGH testing:

There is no update on it.  It was part of our collective bargaining agreement.  The players and the NFL agreed to it.  It is important for players’ health and safety.  It is important for the integrity of the game.  We are going to continue to pursue it aggressively.  We are ready to go.  The players have some more questions that they are pursuing, but we are waiting to hear from them.

On IF HGH testing can be implemented this season:

Yes. 

On NFL Network reaching carriage terms with new cable distributors:

We continue to get more and more distribution for the network.  The popularity of the network has continued to explode.  We saw, particularly since the end of the lockout, extraordinary ratings on the network.  People could not get enough football, and they went to the NFL Network for it.  The growth of the network is important to us as a marketing tool and allowing us to meet our objective of getting more people to experience football.  More and more distributors are recognizing it is good for their customers.  We are comfortable we will get there. 

On Kickoff Weekend occurring on the 10th anniversary of 9/11:

It is an important date for our country and to recognize the people who were tragically lost, their families, the first responders and so many of the people who have kept us safe.  The NFL will do its part to respectfully pay tribute to them.  It is an important day and we will be a part of it.  We are proud to do that.

On if he will be in New York on Sunday:

I am actually going to do a triple-header.  I’ll be in Baltimore, Washington and New York. 

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